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StepNpull, owned by Mike Sewell, Kelly Coddington and Ron Ely, picked up additional sales due to the pandemic.
SBJ file photo
StepNpull, owned by Mike Sewell, Kelly Coddington and Ron Ely, picked up additional sales due to the pandemic.

StepNpull heads to 'Shark Tank'

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Springfield-based StepNpull, the maker of a foot-operated door opener that has spiked in popularity amid the pandemic, is heading to the "Shark Tank" television show.

The business, owned by Kelly Coddington, Ron Ely and Mike Sewell, is scheduled to appear on the episode that airs 7 p.m. April 2 on ABC, according to a news release.

“We are thrilled for the opportunity to appear on ‘Shark Tank,’ which will help us introduce the StepNpull device to even more potential customers,” said Sewell, the company's CEO, in the release. "From the moment the pandemic began, our phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

"Everybody is more concerned with stopping the spread of germs."

StepNpull produces a patented hands-free door opener. The product comprises a metal plate that mounts perpendicular to the bottom of bathroom and interior doors – for users to step on and pull to open.

In "Shark Tank," entrepreneurs pitch products and companies to investors such as billionaire Mark Cuban, often making deals for a sum of funds in exchange for equity. The release indicates the segment with Sewell already has been filmed, though the resolution on whether they have received funding will be left for the airing of the episode next week.

At the start of the pandemic, StepNpull reported an increase in daily units sold to as high as 4,000 in March, up from 1,000-2,000 per day, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

StepNpull sold roughly 13,000 units in 2019, up over 44% from the prior year to net an all-time high $336,000 in annual revenue. Sewell previously told SBJ the company could sell 150,000-200,000 units in 2020, an achievement that would mean a revenue increase of at least 1,000% over 2019.

A spokesperson could not be reached for comment by deadline on the company’s 2020 revenue.

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